Foot-propelled vehicle.



1. F. WHITE. l FOOT PROPELLED VEHICLE. APPLICATI'ON FILED DEC. 13. 1913.

OLUMBM PLANOGRAPM co., wASHxNOTON, b. c.

JAMES F. WHITE, or RoANoKEnAPrDs, NORTH CAROLINA.

FOOT-PROPELLED VEHICLE.

rianne.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES F. WHITE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Roanoke Rapids, in the county of Halifax and State of NorthCarolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in Foot-Pro pelledVehicles, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to foot propelled vehicles or velocpedes, theobject of the invention being to provide such a machine or vehicle withsimple, reliable and powerful foot operated propelling mechanism whichwill overcome dead centers and enable'power to be continuously appliedto the driving wheel. Y

With the above and other objects in view,

the invention consists in the construction,

combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bicycleshowing the improved propelling mechanism applied thereto. Fig. 2 is avertical diametrical section on an enlarged scale through the hub of thedriving wheel, showing portions of the frame, the axle, and the pinionand ratchet mechanism; Fig. 3 is a detail section on the same line asFig. 2 showing the ratchet teeth formed on the hub.

Referring to the drawings 1 designates the frame of a bicycle orvelocipede, 2 the front wheel and 3 the rear wheel, the frame 1 beingprovided with the usual fork arms 4 the rear ends of which carry thestationary axle 5 around which the driving wheel 3 turns.

In carrying out the present invention, the

rear forlr is formed at opposite sides of the driving wheel 3 withrearward extensions or bracket arms 6 to which are pivotally connectedat 7 a pair of pedal levers 8 arranged at opposite sides of the drivingwheel and carrying pedals 9 at their forward'extremities.

The hub 10 of the driving wheel is provided at its opposite ends withlaterally projecting ratchet teeth 11 and coperating with said teeth 11are the ratchet teeth 12 of a pair of spur pinions 13, one of saidpinions being arranged between each end of the hub and the adjacent forkarm 4 of the machine frame.

In order to adapt the invention to be applied to machines as at presentconstructed,

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2'?, 1915.

Application filed December 13, 1913. Serial No. 806,592.

bearing sleeves 14 are placed over the end portions of the stationaryaxle 5 and are preferably threaded and screwed tightly thereon so as toremain stationary with the axle. The sleeves 14 provide smooth bea-ringsaround which the pinions 13 revolve freely.

Interposed between each of the pinions 13 and the adjacent forl arm 4 ofthe frame is a coiled expansion spring 15 which yieldingly urges theadjacent pinion toward the wheel hub so as to cause the teeth 12 of thepinion to engage the teeth 11 of the hub. At the same time the springallows the pinion 13 to move outwardly or away from the hub in orderthatsaid pinion may turn in a backward direction.

The pinions 13 are revolved in a forward direction by means of toothedsectors 16, one of said sectors beingpivotally connected at 17 to eachpedal lever 8. Each sector is held in constant mesh with its respectivepinion 13 by any suitable means such as a spring or guide on the machineframe.

In order to retract or uplift the pedal levers 8 after they have beendepressed, each of said levers is shown as provided with an arcuatelongitudinally slotted hanger bar 18 in which is arranged a leveruplifting or return spring 19 which is inserted between the upper end ofthe slotted bar 18 and a shoulder or projection 2O on the machine frame,said shoulder or projection 20 being received in the slot of the bar 18as indicated in Fig. 1.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings it will now be seen that the pedal levers 8 may be eithersimultaneously or alternately depressed to drive the machine and thatthey are returned to the upper limit of their movement by means of thesprings 19. As one of the levers 8 is depressed, it carries with it thetoothed sector 16 and therefore rotary motion is imparted to adjacentpinion 18. In such forward rotation of the pinion, the latter, beingpressed into engagement with the teeth of the hub by means of theadjacent spring 15, takes up the hub and revolves the driving wheel in aforward direction. As soon as the pedal lever' is allowed to moveupwardly, the spring 15 yields to permit said pinion to slide on theaxle away from the hub and this permits the teeth 1,1 and 12 to slipover and by each other until said lever is again depressed i' whereuponthe spring 15 again throws the Y ratchet teeth l1 and'12 into positivedriving engagement -with each other. Under the relation or parts ashereinabove described, there are no dead centers such as are present inthe usual 'propelling cranks and therefore the full strength ot theoperator may be applied continuously tothe driving wheel. In F ig. 3 Ihave illustrated the application of the present invention to a new hub,the ratchet teethv 11 being formed integrally with.y the hub l0. Thisis, of course, the preferred construction and will be used in themanufacture of the machine. The construction illustrated in -Fig 2adapts the invention to be applied to machines already constructed, the,teeth llrbeing formed on iianged members which are secured in clampedrelation to the ends of the hubs by any desirednumber of bolts 21 whichpass throughtheflanges of said members and between the vspokes of thewheel as clearly indicated in said Fig. 2.

What I claim is Y 1. In a foot-propelled machine, the combination of aymachine frame embodying a fork, a driving wheel mountedin said fork,

Y a stationary axle on which said wheel revolves, ratchet teethprojecting from the end faces .of the hub of said wheel, pinions mountedloosely on said axle between the hub and arms of said fork and adaptedto slide longitudinally of and revolve upon said axle, ratchet teeth onthe inner faces of said'pinions to engage the ratchet teeth pedal leverson opposite sides of the machine fulcrumed at their rear extremities onthe frame, driving connections between said levers and driving wheel,and pedal lever raising means embodying arcuate longitudinally slottedbars connected to and extending upwardly from said pedal levers, projections on the machine frame extending into the slots of said bars, andhelical springs coniined in the slots of said bars and each bearing atone end against one of said projections and at the other end against theend wall of the slot of its respective lever.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES F. IVHITE.

Witnesses:

H. F. CHERRY, Jos. B. GoooH.

Copies of this patentmay be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

